It is Mumbai’s most exclusive airport, where many of India’s leading business tycoons park their private jets and helicopters. But travellers using Juhu Airport last week, including India’s busy Public Works Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, were forced to endure lengthy delays because of a total communications breakdown, which paralysed the airport’s VHF radio system.
The reason? A short circuit caused by rat excrement. An investigation by the Airports Authority of India found that rodents had eaten their way through several vital cables, exposing metal wires that short circuited, probably because of rat excreta.
The lack of a back-up system compounded the